Prince's Don't
by Silly Plumb
Summary: Eileen Snape's story as she attempts to escape the madhouse she has been living in for the past ten years. Enjoy-Meghan ;D


Young Severus Snape looked pleadingly into the eyes of his mother begging her to do something, anything as Tobias advanced. His greasy hair fell in loose strands across his face and droplets of sweat appeared one by one on his forehead. Eileen's hardened heart clenched painfully witnessing her son's terror, her husband's rage. Her life was not supposed to turn out like this; she had been an esteemed member of the Prince family goddamit! But sometimes, she supposed, life got in the way. Mistakes were made and people were hurt. In the old days, before Severus was born…Tobias had been good to her; honestly he had; they were in love, a forbidden temptation between muggle and witch. They had overcome so much together so why was he behaving like this! Somewhere, somehow on the road to adult responsibility they had gotten mislaid, and now poor Severus was compensating for their errors. Her child would never know his genuine parents. The blissful, inspirational young couple from before. Now all he knows is blackness and distress. One day, she knew that her son would turn against his family, the bitterness; all the resentment would one day just shatter and amount to an onslaught of mounting fury. It had for Tobias; Eileen knew what must be done. The house was dead silent. Her husband had passed out hours ago and she had been all the while developing a plot, a scheme to escape the maddening hellhole she had once called a home.

For a moment, just one beautiful instance she had considered total abandonment, just like her father had vowed… "Drop the muggle; leave the spawn and come back home." Were his exact words. Eileen wanted to…Oh how the thought had tempted her…but as much as the bond between mother and child had not formulated, he was still her baby. Briefly, Eileen recalled the week that Tobias had been out of town, Severus had been five. The pair had spent the entire time playing games, laughing, getting to know one and other. Oh she had promised that little boy the world but once again she had let him down; for when Tobias returned things had gradually slipped back into normalcy. This time would be different, she could feel it, and her heart knew that she would not let that child down again.

The silence was nerve wracking as Eileen quietly packed her shabby suitcases, praying to Merlin that her husband would not awaken as she did so. Finishing, she crept edgily toward her son's darkened bedroom down the hall, the timeworn floorboards creaking agonizingly under her feet. Finally, Eileen reached the door; prying it open silently she was surprised to find Severus already awake and staring emotionlessly out the cracked window up at the moon. He turned as she entered but showed no reaction to the words that she spoke next;

"Severus my child, come with me. We must hurry; we shall leave before your father wakes up again. This is our chance."

Sighing exasperatedly, her son rolled his eyes and motioned into the night.

"Mother, you need to stop this. The promises, the lying; it has to end. Besides, where would we go? We have no car and no way of transportation. Just go back to bed."

"Severus we can use magic! We can apparate; I know how…I'm not completely useless you know."

Resentment bubbled behind Severus' calm façade.

"Mother, you haven't a wand nor inkling of knowledge to use it. Just go back to bed please, leave me in peace for once in your life." He pleaded.

Eileen reached for her son grasping tightly onto his arm and began to pull him towards the door.

"Geroff! Merlin woman you had your chance! Just go by yourself if you want to leave so damn bad!" He shouted, his voice resounding throughout the house.

Just then a creaking a heard from the landing below, the pair froze in horror as the all too familiar squeak. Tobias burst through the door knocking it off it's rusty hinges, it came crashing to the ground momentarily distracting Severus from the barrelling figure of his father rushing towards him. Adrenaline coursed through Eileen as she hurdled herself in the way of her son and took Tobias' first blow. This further enraged her husband and he began to shake and slam her into the minimal furniture and walls of Severus' room. As his mother lay on the floor unmoving, Severus watched shell shocked as his father ambled out of the room irately.

The night that Severus Snape witnessed his mother's murder was the night he lost all faith in humanity. All but Lily and well…we all know what happened there.


End file.
